Morninpaper

It gives me great pleasure to bring you my review on a new children's book that I had the great pleasure of reading over the weekend.  "Good Morning, Friend Moon" which just happens to be authored by one of morninpaper's own, Aaron J. Walker, is a smart, warm fuzzy look at the job of the two lights in the sky.  Done with warm colors, and child-like sketches, Good Morning, Friend Moon gave me that feeling that you want when reading a book to your child.  The feeling of being a kid.

Aaron takes his strength of writing on all things Microsoft (and other topics), and throws them right out the window, which in my opinion is exactly what's needed from a skilled writer.  I am always happy to discover that my friends and colleagues have talents far and above what has been immediately shown.  Aaron went missing from us for awhile after telling me that he was nose deep in a project he really needed to finish, and boy did he finish it.  He not only finished a wonderful book, but started a publishing company with a website and it's first offering, Good Morning, Friend Moon.

If you've followed Aaron's post, then you know he has a thing for Amazon's Kindle, and that's what he's going after with his children's books.  Good Morning, Friend Moon can be read to your child from your Kindle or any other e-reader. This comes in handy for the long trips back from grandma's house.  

Now, just so you know that this is a completely unbiased review, morninpaper readers should remember that I am not a fan of e-readers.  And if someone gives me a product to review, and I don't like it, I won't post a review.  This comes particularly hard as I am a writer and artist, which always makes it a bit harder to be objective in these matters.  Artist always tend to look or listen critically as opposed to just looking.

I really enjoyed this book, and I don't have kids.  The approach that Aaron took with the drawings is really appealing.  I can imagine being a parent and getting caught up in the pictures when your supposed to be reading to your kids.  But your small children will absolutely be engaged.  We all wondered what was up with the sun and the moon when we were tiny ones.  Aaron endeavors to spell out the technical in a way that's digestible and fun.

Example:

The story follows the moon telling the sun why it is so sleepy, going through the events of the night prior with all of the task our moon provides us.

Writing a story for small children is very difficult.  There is a fine line that cannot be crossed, and Aaron manages to stay on the right side of it.  And I cannot stress enough my enjoyment with the decision he made on how to approach the artwork.  

What is equally impressive here is the approach of bridging a time honored tradition of reading to your child, with the newest of technologies.

Good Morning, Friend Moon is available through WalkBroadPublishing at www.walkbroadpublishing.com

If you have children, do yourself a favor and have yourself a look, it's well worth it.  Aaron plans on publishing a string of children's books, and with this first offering, I'm positive that he and his series will be wildly popular.

You did good Aaron!